City Week

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"Onion Fields" is part of the Peace group exhibit opening Sunday, December 1, at Vanier Gallery. The show features works from several artists and spotlights those in steel, bronze and granite. An opening reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4, at 7131 N. Oracle Road. Call 797-4224 for more information.

Thursday 28

TAKE IN SOME ART. Artists are often the best chroniclers and arbiters of dangerous or desperate times. At Risk: Depicting Danger, Hazards and Chance features the work of a variety of artists from the U.S. to Italy and Argentina, including Eric Avery, Stefano della Bella and Claudia Bernardi.

This wide-ranging show is on the walls at the UA Museum of Art along with two other shows. Looking Back: Contemporary Portraits features the work of well-known artists Chuck Close, David Hockney, Luiz Cruz Azcaceta and Robert Morris. And East of the Danube: Slovak Art of the 1990s rounds out the museum's exhibits featuring a selection of painting and works on paper by several Slovak artists.

The exhibits opened earlier in the month and run through January 26, February 9 and March 16 respectively. Gallery hours are weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. (closed Saturdays). The museum is located inside the courtyard just east of Park Avenue and Speedway Boulevard and admission is free. For details, call the museum at 621-7567.

Friday 29

SPIRIT OF MUSIC. Vince Redhouse, member of the Dineh (Navajo) Nation, is among many urban Indians that have been influenced by the culture at large while managing to retain a vital connection with tribal traditions.

Coming from the renowned musical family, Redhouse plays a variety of instruments including Native American flute, saxophone and guitar. In the early years, he was greatly influenced by his father's traditional Navajo singing. His uncle introduced him to the nuances of jazz. And once in music school and later in the Air Force Band, Redhouse sculpted his own musical styles.

Faith in the House is Redhouse's first solo project showcasing his versatility on both the sax and flute. It's a collection of inspirational Praise and Worship songs done instrumentally. His newest CD is Sacred Season and features holiday songs with a Southwestern flavor.

Come hear Redhouse perform from noon to 4 p.m. today at De Grazia Gallery of the Sun located at 6300 N. Swan Road. For information, call 237-5258.

A FANTASTIC RUN. Forty-two years after opening on Broadway, the curtains have closed on this charmer.

Tom Jones wrote the lyrics and Harvey Schmidt wrote the music to The Fantasticks. Now the magic has come to Tucson with the Arizona Theater Company's production of the beloved holiday treat. ATC Artistic director David Ira Goldstein and a cast of favorites polished this little gem of a musical to a brilliant luster. You'll forget you ever had any holiday blues.

Tom Jones called it a celebration of theatricality because it has no big chorus numbers or fancy lights and music. Special effects are achieved with confetti and a paper moon. It's a story about a boy and a girl who fall in love over a garden wall that their fathers have built to keep them apart. The signature songs are Try to Remember and Soon It's Gonna Rain. Bringing back memories?

More than 50 tribes are represented in exhibition dancing at the festival. Food, arts and crafts booths feature 40 authentic vendors (no fakes, here). The Pow-Wow takes place at Rillito Raceway Park, River Road and First Avenue. Today's festivities begin at 4 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. Saturday's events begin at noon and continue to 6 p.m. and they start up again at noon and go to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Register your drums by today at 6 p.m. for the drum contest. Suggested donation is $5 plus a new Christmas toy. Questions? Visit www.usaindianinfo.org.

Saturday 30

LAWNCHAIR ART. Actually, leave your chaise lounge at home. The artists showing their work are the ones who get to spread out at the second annual Art on the Lawn Show.

Join the garden party at the Lodge on the Desert located at 306 N. Alvernon Way. Admission is free. Call 882-8099 for details.

MAD RUSH FOR CHRISTMAS CAROLES. Sneak a preview of the upcoming Christmas season repertoire with A Centennial Holiday.

The concert is under the musical direction of Joan and David Ashcraft. Joining the Arts Express Choir and Orchestra is the Arts Express Chorale, comprised of students from Tucson area high schools. Special guests include the Sahuaro Singers as Dickens' Carolers, Mike DeSchalit, the vocal music group, On Broadway and Tucson's own Armen Dirtadian.

A synthesized version of Mannhaeim Steamroller's Silent Night is a must see as is Orts Theater of Dance's trapeze artist Annie Bunker performing as an angel. We won't divulge the finale.

Tickets for the 3 and 7 p.m. shows cost $8.75 for adults and $5.75 for students and children. Proceeds benefit the Fine Arts Youth Academy sponsored by Arts Express. The concert takes place at the UA Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. Call 326-3900 for details.

NOSY NEIGHBORS. This is the one time of year we voyeurs, eavesdroppers and generally nosy types get permission to peer into other people's houses. Bisbee's private homes open their doors in the 20th annual Historic Home Tour along with some back-room details of shops and hotels.

Get a glimpse of the town's architectural history and turn-of-the-century splendor. Docents don period costumes and lead tours through distinctive structures, up and down those stepped streets. This year's theme, Merchant Hideaways, features homes in and above buildings in the historic district of Old Bisbee, including the Odd Fellows Lodge, the Elks Club and the Masonic Temple. The walking tour starts at 10 a.m. today and goes to 4 p.m. and again from noon to 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Added fun includes tonight's Festival of Lights, a merry lighting ceremony held in front of the Copper Queen Library steps plus Santa in a fire truck with goodies for the kids. Wine tasting and jazz combine all weekend at Café Roka--today from noon to 4 p.m. and tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The tour costs $10 for adults, $5 for kids, ages 2 to 12. The wine-tasting, a benefit for Bisbee Rotary, costs $15. For more information, call the Bisbee Chamber of Commerce at (520) 432-5421.

Sunday 1

HOLIDAY MUSIC, REDUX. Think Antonio Vivaldi and what comes to mind?

The Tucson Masterworks chorale presents Gloria at their winter concert under the direction of David Gardner. John Rutter's Selected Christmas Works is another treat. Featured soloists include sopranos Elena Todd and Dawn Marshall and mezzo-soprano Wanda Brister.

Stroll down to Trinity Presbyterian Church at 400 E. University Blvd. at 3 p.m. for a concert of holiday-inspired music. Suggested donation is $10 for general audiences and $8 for students and seniors. Pay at the door or call 884-3506 for tickets and more information.

A Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair pitches forth this weekend at Reid Park's DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, 22nd Street and Country Club Road, both days from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sponsored by Tucson Parks and Recreation, it's free and open to the public.

More than 200 artisans offer one-of-a-kind items. Food and refreshments are available. And the music? Here's the line-up: Saturday, it's a performance by the Tucson Puppetworks followed by the Arnold-Klingenfus Ensemble, Libra de Grassa, Fourkiller Flats, Tom Walbank & Morgan City General. Today, it's a repeat puppet show followed by Lefty Larry & the Blues Avengers, Truck, Sun 7 and Hipster Daddy-O & the Handgrenades.

For information, call 791-4663.

PIANOS 'R US. The Arizona Friends of Chamber Music present the first concert in their Piano and Friends Sunday matinee series.

Hong-Mei Xiao is an associate professor of viola at the UA School of Music and Dance and first-prize winner of the Geneva International Music Competition--the only violist to have won the highest honor in the prestigious forum for the past 14 years. She's won numerous awards and accolades for her performances world-wide.

Pianist Tannis Gibson is also on faculty at the UA. She's appeared on stages throughout the U.S. and Europe and more recently, China. She's a graduate of the Julliard School where she studied with Sascha Gorodnitzki.

The concert begins at 3 p.m. in the Leo Rich Theater at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets cost $15 general admission with student tickets a mere $5. Call 577-3769 with questions.

Monday 2

WALT DISNEY, WAKE UP. The famous movie mogul must have spun in his grave when his studio released Newsies, a musical about the 1899 newsboy's strike against Joseph Pulitzer's wage-cutting sliminess.

The film is part of the monthly series, Film Focus on Justice, presented at El Centro Digna at 842 S. Sixth Ave. at 19th Street. It's a great way to introduce kids to union-organizing concepts and it stars Christian Bale and Robert Duvall.

The free screening begins at 7 p.m. and is hosted by the Southern Arizona Alliance for Economic Justice. There's even popcorn. Call 670-1515 for information.

Tuesday 3

LIGHT 'EM UP. Only in Tucson would we get in our cars, go out to the desert and drive through a mile-long, winter light tour.

Winter Lights is brand new this year. It's pretty bright, illuminating a ring of 350 to 400 lights along the perimeter of Old Tucson Studios, ranging from 10- to 300-foot long strands. Drive through illuminated tunnels and forests, past lit-up biblical stories and vignettes. At the end of the drive is a Winter Fair with unlimited rides. Every night during the week through January 5 they plug the lights in from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays it goes to 10 p.m. Admission costs $10 per car for just the light show or $25 per car for both the lights and unlimited Winter Fair rides. Old Tucson Studios is located at 201 S. Kinney Road. Call 883-0100 for details.

Wednesday 4

THE ETHICAL ONES. Given all the scandals that capitalism can't help but breed, it's nice to know that some businesses out there are ethical. To reward those who somehow have managed to keep their greedy hands out of the pot, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona presents an awards dinner on their behalf.

Capping its own 50th anniversary celebration, the Bureau presents political satirist Mark Russell, named by TV Guide as the funniest man on television. Russell is best known for his roasts of politicians and business leaders (he's never at a loss for material) and 23 years as host of PBS' The Mark Russell Comedy Special. He's also a weekly commentator on CNNs Inside Politics Weekend and writes a syndicated column, records CDs and offers searing, stand-up comedy while accompanying himself on piano.

At 6:30 p.m., stop by for a no-host reception followed at 8 p.m. for the Business Ethics Awards Dinner. Russell slides on stage at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $100--it's a benefit for the Better Business Bureau. Hey, if we want to curb Enron scandals, these are the folks who can help us at the local level.

It all takes place at Westin La Paloma, located at 3800 E. Sunrise Drive. Tickets are available by calling 888-5353.